Wednesday, July 1, 2009

"The mysterious East Greenland kayak, ultra low volume, fast, manuverable. Let's be clear, there is not a lot of stability in a boat of this type. The kayak will spear through all but the smallest waves. It will not roll as well as a West Greenland boat with a more bouyant cross section. Yet, despite all this, it remains one of my favorite kayaks. There is something so sweet about slicing it across flat water, silent, easy and intimate. The East Greenland kayaks are just something you see and fall in love with, and that's a good enough reason as any to build one. "

Brian Schulz is obsessed with kayaks, their design, their construction, their performance. Although he occasionally builds another kind of boat, his production and interest and experimentation is almost exclusively with skin of frame kayaks. Well versed in traditional kayak design and construction, Brian doesn't shy away from working with newer designs and concepts to achieve a desired result. What we find here is exuberant, robust and intriguing. His website is a must, and Harvey Golden assures me that Brian's building classes are a great introduction into the world of traditional kayak building, whether one is looking to build a traditional Greenland style, a Baidarka or one of Brian's more contemporary designs. You can also commission Brian to build you one of many designs. The Cape Falcon website includes a wealth of information, and is frequently updated with Brian's latest research project. Before you plunk down 4k on that latest kevlar boat, glimpse where it all came from and why a skin on frame might serve your purposes better. I think Brian makes a good case. Brian Schulz is also a very active participant in the Qajaq USA Greenland forum and you can learn tons about these type boats there.

seventy point eight is the percentage of ocean to landmass on our planet. get wet...a rambling personal collection of news, books, images, ideas, and whatever else I find interesting relating to our aqueous environment..with an emphasis on small boats, sailing, boat design and designers and boatbuilding and builders, especially home builders. And a certain curiosity about seasteading. Header photo:'Salarøy' is a 41' fembøring, a Norwegian workboat inTromsø Norway. Courtesy Hildringstimens båtgalleri - http://www.hildringstimen.no/batlista.htm